A Kingdom Cursed, A Selfless Love
by Artimus Knyght
Summary: A kingdom was cursed. Someone needed selfless love. A story you've never read before.
1. The Curse

I was thinking about my story 'Luna Luna Let Down Your Hair' when I was hit by inspiration for this story. so tell me what you think.

I do not own Harry Potter or anything to do with him.

**A Kingdom Cursed, A Selfless Love**

In the Kingdom of Britain, in the country of Scotland, in the village of Hogsmeade stood Hogwarts castle, home to the Royalty of the magical world, the Queen Selene and her husband King Xenophilius. For generations her family had ruled selflessly and cared for their subjects. Xenophilius was different. Born to a lesser noble family he always wanted more, to be more, to have more. He fell for the princess whilst attending a ball and she fell for him. They married and her love blinded her to his selfish ways.

For years they tried for a child, but nothing happened. They were losing hope when Selene became pregnant. She gave birth to a healthy baby girl and the kingdom rejoiced. Princess Luna had arrived and the Queen and her subjects were happy.

But the King wanted more. He wanted bigger. He ordered for a massive ball to take place at the castle in honour of his daughter. He wanted a large banquet, the best musicians and a parade through the village, no, across the Kingdom, so all would know of his daughter. But for something this splendid he needed money and so he took the money from the orphanage to pay for it.

The ball arrived and there was cheer everywhere. The princess was in a cot between the thrones of the Queen and King and her parents were dancing the day away. People came to wish their child a long and healthy life and they brought her presents. And people came to wish them and their daughter long and glorious rules respectively.

Not long before sunset the party stopped, for a child had started to cry. And not just any child, but the princess. They hurried to the front of the great hall and stopped at the front of the crowd. At the top of the steps, in front of their thrones, in front of their daughter, stood an old and clearly powerful witch. Her eyes found the Kings and bore into them. The crowd was scared and Xenophilius was petrified. And then she started to speak.

"Xenophilius, you are a selfish man. You would hurt many for the sake of your pride. The orphans starve because you must throw a party. I will not have it. You do not deserve your magic, nor does your Kingdom. I place a curse upon you and your people. This Kingdom shall have no magic and no princess." She held up her hand and clicked her fingers. The effect was instant as golden light left the chests of the guests. Golden light flowed from all over the Kingdom to swirl around the witch's raised hand. After what seemed to be an eternity it stopped and the golden light dimmed. She then turned and picked up the princess before facing the crowd again.

"Be warned, this curse shall only be broken when a true hero of selfless love gets her home and is willing to let her go for what is right. A hero who is willing to give up his life for her and his love for the innocent. Only then shall your magic be returned. Xenophilius you must learn the meaning of selflessness, for you cannot find true happiness without selfless love."

And then she was gone, disappeared in a mist that had risen around her. When she was gone the King started calling for the guards to find his daughter. He screamed for them to double and triple the taxes and to collect them immediately. The money was to be used as a reward for whoever found his daughter and the witch who took her. If someone couldn't pay they were to be arrested. Most of the guards were enthusiastic about this, most but not one.

Frank Longbottom was a Lieutenant in the Royal Guard and second in command to the Captain Arthur Weasley. He watched with growing sadness. He looked to the Queen and she met his eye for a brief second before looking down. He knew why. He had been friends with Selene since they were children. When she had met Xenophilius he had warned her that he was selfish, but she wouldn't listen. She loved him and he couldn't fault that. She refused to see his one flaw because he was a great man. Now she was finally opening her eyes. She wouldn't demand that he renounce his title, or demand a divorce, she did still love him, but now she could put her foot down.

But there was a problem. While he and many subjects still followed her, the majority of the guard gave their allegiance to the King.

Frank thought about his young son at home. He'd had some reservations about Neville becoming a guard, now he knew he had no choice. He would train his son to take his place, for there had to be someone who would protect the people from the very men who were supposed to ensure their safety.

The Queen watched her husband order the guards to do what he thought necessary. Had she really been this blinded by her love of the man. Her eyes had been opened when her heart had been ripped as she watched her daughter be stolen from her. She looked at Frank and looked away. She couldn't look at him, knowing he had been right all those years ago. She looked out the window at the setting sun and feared that she may never see her daughter again.

Down in the village later that night, a young boy stood beside his best friend, a girl nearly a year older than he was, as both watched in confusion and fear as their parents were dragged off in chains. He was lifted into the air by the Lieutenant. He held the boy close and held out his hand for the girl to take. He took them to the orphanage and set them down on one of the beds. He spoke to the matron in hushed tones before leaving to attend to his duties.

The matron looked at the two in pity, dreading the day when they would ask about their parents and she would have to tell them. The boy had it the hardest. When the guards had accidentally hurt his mother his father had assaulted a guard trying to get to her. They said he had resisted arrest and assaulted a guard and that it was punishable by death. His mother had heard and had tried to get to his father. The guards didn't care, in their eyes his parents had been to poor to live, so they had been sentenced to death. The poor boy wasn't even two.

At the same time, in a cottage in a wood about two weeks walk from the castle, an old woman was putting a baby girl in a cot. The girl was already asleep. The woman looked at her and smiled. It was better for the child to grow up away from the influence of her father. She would go back one day and hopefully her father would have changed by then. She pulled a sheet over the baby's body and kissed her forehead.

"I am Minerva my child and I shall be your grandmother. Goodnight my princess. Sweet dreams."

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><p>What do you think. A good start for a fairytale? A disaster waiting to happen? Let me know.<p> 


	2. Seventeen And A Half Years Later

Here's the second chapter, hope you enjoy it.

I do not own Harry Potter

**Seventeen**** And A Half Years Later**

Down in a small clearing next to a stream the sound of wood knocking together could be heard. A young man with black messy hair and emerald green eyes was fighting a young woman with wavy brown hair and chocolate brown eyes. Eighteen year old Harry Potter was sparing with his life long best friend, and practically sister, nineteen year old Hermione Granger. They sparred with long wooden poles. They trained to defend themselves and the orphans from the guards who would force them out of the village.

Hermione swung her pole at Harry's feet, trying to make him jump so she could take advantage of his balance being off for a brief moment, but Harry just blocked with his own pole. Harry went on the offensive and pushed Hermione back towards a tree. He didn't let up and finally he knocked her pole out of her hand and the fight was over. He picked up her pole and handed it back to her.

"You know 'Mione, I think you're getting slow in your old age." He laughed in jest as she tried to glare at him but couldn't hold back her smile. She chuckled.

"Shut up, squirt."

"Don't call me that." They both laughed again. They washed up by the stream and headed up the path back towards the village. They laugh and joked before Harry became serious.

"Hermione, you know my birthdays coming …" Hermione interrupted him

"What? Your birthday is in like six months." She raised an eyebrow wondering what he was after.

"I know. But it's in the summer and I was wondering if we could go travelling since we're both old enough and we can take care of ourselves." Hermione closed her eyes and sighed. He had been asking for the same thing every year since they were eleven.

"Harry, you know why we can't. We don't have the money to go off on our own …" It was Hermione's turn to be interrupted.

"We can do odd jobs in the different towns we come across."

"And who would look after the orphans while we're off touring the Kingdom Harry. The guards are harsh enough towards them as it is."

Harry visibly deflated when he heard that. He knew that he could not leave them, they were like his family. No, they were his family.

"You know if it wasn't for you and the orphans I probably would have left years ago. There is nothing else in this godforsaken place that I care about." His eyes seemed empty.

"Harry don't say that. This is our home. And our Queen still does everything she possibly can to protect us." Deep in her heart she knew he was right. The only things left for her were the orphans and Harry. Her parents had died in prison just a few years earlier.

They walked the rest of the way in silence. They entered the village and made for the orphanage. They were stopped by one of the younger orphans who looked about five years old. He was crying and hid behind them. And then He showed up, Captain of the guard Ronald Weasley, and he looked mad. He had taken his fathers place just the year before. He arrived on horseback with his Lieutenants on either side. Lieutenant Draco Malfoy was sneering at them, as if he were better than them, which was funny, because he only got his position because he was best friends with Weasley. Lieutenant Neville Longbottom looked sympathetic. He had taken the position from his father very recently and was still getting used to dealing with his new Captain.

"Out of the way scum, that kid has got to be punished." Ron hated the orphans, no one knew why, he just did.

"What did he do?" To everyone else Harry sounded curious, but to Hermione, well she could hear the anger in his voice. Because just like Ron hated them, they hated him.

"He stole an apple. An apple that was to go to our King's castle. When I demanded he return it and face his punishment he threw it at me and ran. NOW HAND HIM OVER!" Ron was starting to spit in anger.

"Come and get him." Harry's voice by comparison was deathly calm. Ron got down from his horse and stomped over. He grabbed the front of Harry's shirt and before he could realise his mistake he was on the floor after Hermione had taken her pole to him. As the other guards started to advance Harry yelled for the kid to run. As soon as the kid was gone Harry and Hermione ran in the other direction, back the way they came. The guards followed them which is what Harry had wanted. All Hermione and he had to do was get to the woods and then they could lose the guards.

They made it to the woods and to their clearing. They jumped the stream and kept going. Harry stopped suddenly and jumped. He grabbed a branch above him and pulled himself up. He swung his legs over it and leaned backwards so as to hang from the branch. He grabbed Hermione by her outstretched hands and pulled her up into the tree.

They watched as the guards ran underneath them and searched the area. After a while the guards gave up and left. Harry and Hermione waited a little longer before dropping out of the tree. They couldn't go back now; they had assaulted a guard, the Captain no less.

"Well I guess we better go travelling then Harry. Anywhere you would like to go first?" They looked at each other before they pulled out what money they had on them.

"I suggest the nearest town so we can get some money." Hermione nodded and they headed off along the path towards the nearest source of food and money.

As the sun set that day, a young girl with blonde hair and grey blue eyes went to bed. She dreamed of her eighteenth birthday in two weeks time and wondered what her present would be.

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><p>So ... Comments? Hope you liked it. Please review.<p> 


	3. Meeting The Forest Girl

I do not own Harry Potter. Please enjoy the chapter.

**Meeting The Forest Girl**

Luna woke on the morning of her eighteenth birthday with a smile on her face, she had had the most wonderful dream, the only thing was that she couldn't remember it, she just knew it had been wonderful. She got up and did her chores. She went outside and sighed in the fresh morning air in the meadow. She loved it in the forest, but she did wish she could go farther and meet people. She would love to go to the village, but her grandmother said it was Dangerous, that there were a lot of bad people out there who would hurt her or use her. 'There are good people out there too' her grandmother had told her 'And one day you will meet one of these people and they will get you back to the home where you belong.' When she asked how she would know this person her grandmother had just told her that she would know.

She strolled into the forest like it was an everyday occurrence, which it was. She liked wandering in the forest. She had been glimpsed on occasion. Her grandmother had told her that the people in the village called her the Forest Girl and she was considered a myth, some people even thought she was a ghost.

She had been wandering for about half an hour when she came across a camp. It was weird she thought because no one camped in her forest. People kept clear because of the myth of the Forest Girl. And it wasn't just her. There were wolves in the forest. They left her alone, she didn't know why, but they did. They didn't leave anyone else alone for long. She wanted to run, but for some reason she was drawn to the camp. There, around the fire, were two people, a girl with brown wavy hair and boy with black messy hair. They got up and split up. The girl was going to get water and the boy was going to get firewood. Luna felt drawn to the boy, so she followed him.

She followed him for a while. He stopped in a small clearing and started to pickup some wood. She hid behind a tree and carefully looked through a gap in the trunk. He turned towards her and she gasped. She knew those eyes, she didn't know where from, but she knew those sparkling, emerald green eyes. When she gasped she took a step back and stepped on a twig. It snapped. The boy turned around, but she was already gone, running back through the trees. She heard him yell, but she just kept running. And then she heard him running after her. She ran as fast as she could back to her clearing and across the meadow. She entered her house and slammed the door.

Harry and Hermione were camped just outside of Devon. They had been moving south for two weeks and were hoping to head to London soon. They had been avoiding guard patrols the whole time. It seemed that captain Ronald had sent word south that they were to be apprehended. Hopefully the heat would have died down by the time they got to London.

Harry was collecting firewood when he heard a twig snap. He looked around and saw a flash of blonde hair through the trees. He called out when he saw it again, but there was no answer. When he saw it a third time he dropped the wood and raced after it. It seemed to be a woman and she was running away. He sped up to try to catch up with her. He jumped logs and ducked branches and he dove between the trees until he came across a clearing. On the far side of the clearing stood a small house. He saw the blonde hair disappear behind the door as it slammed shut.

He ventured into the meadow. He made it half way across when he heard a snarling. He turned around slowly and saw three of the biggest wolves he had ever seen. Actually they were the only wolves he had ever seen, but still. They crept closer as he backed farther away. He only made it nine steps before they launched themselves at him. One latched its jaw around his upper right arm while another landed his paws to his chest, knocking him back and winding him. The last wolf bit down on his bottom left leg. He cried out in pain and agony. Just as the wolf on his chest was about to bite down on his neck all three looked up and bounded back into the forest. The last thing Harry saw before he passed out was blonde hair and grey blue eyes.

Luna had heard the snarling, but she had only truly understood what it was when she heard a cry of pain and agony. She flung the door open and raced outside. There on the ground with three wolves on top of him was the boy. She ran towards him. When the wolves saw her they ran off. She dropped to her knees and knelt over him. He was bleeding badly from his arm and leg. She could help him, but she needed to get him inside first. She needed help herself.

She ran inside and grabbed some cloth. She ran back out and tied the cloth around his wounds before running back into the forest towards the camp. She got there just as some more wolves were about to jump at the girl. Again they ran off when they saw her. She ran up to the girl, grabbed her hand and pulled.

"Help." She pleaded. "Your friend, he needs help." That was all it took. The girl followed her to her friend. They reached the meadow and ran to the boy. Luna checked her patch job. She knew that it was only a temporary fix, but it had slowed the blood flow so far. Together the two girls carried him into the house and placed him on one of the beds. Luna then got to work cleaning the wounds and wrapping them properly. Forty minutes later she was done and she knew he would be okay. She went and got one of her grandmother's potions from the cupboard, a blood replenishing one, and she worked down his throat.

"He'll be ok?" The girl asked. Luna nodded. "I'm Hermione by the way. The danger magnet is Harry." Hermione said. "I'm Luna." Hermione frowned for a moment before shaking her head. 'Nah,' she thought 'couldn't be.' Luna served some tea and they sat by Harry's bedside waiting for him to wake up. Luna couldn't help thinking that it had been one hell of a birthday.

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><p>So how'd you like it? Please review.<p> 


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